Biowaste disposal vs. biowaste recovery – the Italian experience
Biowaste disposal vs. biowaste recovery – the Italian experience
Dr David Newman
Italian Composting Consortium (CIC)
Board Member, ISWA
www.compost.it
Dr David Newman
Italian Composting Consortium (CIC)
Board Member, ISWA
www.compost.it
Italians can get their act together when they want…..
1° in the world for recycled wood (panels)1° in Europe for recycled aluminium2° in Europe for recycled paper and cardboard2° in Europe for the production of quality compost3° in Europe for glass recycling
Packaging Waste Directive 1996 contributed fundamentally to these results
Some commendable Italian data
1° Brescia voted the world’s best incinerator by the WtERT Columbia University, N.Y.C., 2006
50 incinerators working, 7 in construction, 18 planned
200+ composting plants operating
55% of packaging waste is recovered and recycled
Recycling rates (2007) - MSW
REGIONE VENETO (Venezia) recycling rate 42% (4 ML pop)REGIONE LOMBARDIA (Milano) recycling rate 41% (10 ML pop)REGIONE EMILIA ROMAGNA (Bologna) recycling rate 39% (4 ML pop)REGIONE TOSCANA (Firenze) recycling rate 36% (4 ML pop)REGIONE PIEMONTE (Torino) recycling rate 34% (6 ML pop)
But there are two sides to every coin….
Incinerators in southern Italy…….2Recycling in southern Italy……>10%Crimes related to waste < 75% happen in southern ItalyLandfilling of MSW c. 50% nationally, in southern Italy c. 80%(southern Italy means Campania, Calabria, Sicilia, Molise,Puglia, Basilicata, Sardegna)
This particular diversity between northern and southern Italy is one of the country’s principle problems, politically, economically and socially. Waste is simply a reflection of this.
Separated collection by macro regions
Organic waste collection represents over one third of all separated MSW waste collected.Composting selected wastes accounts for nearly 3,5 million tonnes p/aCompost produced is sold at good prices or requested by local farmers at zero valueDespite the north-south diversity, organic waste recovery has now taken off throughout the central-northern part of the nation – but wide areas still lagging behind due to uncertainty of long-term strategies!The long-term trajectories are unclear – need for common EU drivers
The opportunity from organic waste
Drivers for organic waste recovery in Italy
Recycling targets (65% of MSW to be separately collected)Volume (30-40% of MSW)Economic sustainability of treatmentLess public opposition when compared to incinerationA final product has a market (albeit difficult)Organic substance is needed for soil protection (desertification)Rise in cost and closure of landfills
Constraints Landfill diversion targets do not specify the contribution required by composting and AD. (achievable also through incineration or MBT)Composting requires both treatment capacities and implementation of schemes for separate collectionDifferent roles and responsibilities among authorities often notmatching each other (therefore) Clear drivers are badly needed in order to ensure• Cross-consistency of actions on collection and treatment• Profitability of investments
A Directive including targets/drivers would be extremely helpful in order to trigger further activities everywhere in Italy – similar to what was caused by the Packaging Directive.
Organic waste streams recovered
Three principle streams treated in Italy:
1. Catering waste from homes, stores, restaurants. 2. Green waste from gardens, parks, agricultural activities.3. Sludges from sewage, agro-industrial activities.
But alsoWaste from food production, animal manures.
Catering waste
Domestic food waste collected separately with biodegradable bags, destinedto quality composting facilities. Average annual production in Italy is circa 180 kg/p
Green waste being unloaded at a quality composting plant.Average annual production in Italy is 150 kg/p
The three principle waste streams
Kitchen waste, green waste, sewage and agro-industrial sludgesAll three organic waste streams are:
Continuous throughout the yearUbiquitous, available in every urban areaCompatible with each otherRich in carbonPay a gate fee to be treated (financial flow)
Composting v MBT
Two distinct waste collection methods determine treatment methods and final product outputs
From Mixed Waste- MBT- unclean compostFrom Source Separated Waste- Quality Composting- clean compost
This position is not shared throughout the EU
MBT, ITALY treats 3x quantities in compost plants
In Italy MBT plants treat 23% of MSW, about 9.000.000 tonnes, producing these outputs
Many companies run both MBTand quality composting facilities together
Dry fractions to recycling 2.600.000 t (34%)
Biostabilised waste 1.700.000 t (22.5%)
RDF 780.000 t ( 10%)
Wet waste 175,000 t (1.7%)
Dried waste for incineration
230,000 t (3 %)
MSW to landfill 1.800.000 t (24,2%)
Other fractions 370,000 t (4.7%)
Biostabilised or “grey” compost
Can contain elevated levels of heavy metals, pieces of plastics, metals and other unwanted fractions unsuitable for land use. Advantages of MBT treatment are:1. Reduces volumes destined to landfill2. Stabilizes organic fraction3. Reduces atmospheric emissions from landfills4. Plants have easily adaptable technology for future transformation into
quality composting plants- ie a transitory phase
Fuel outputs from MBT
MBT can produce RDF, dried, selected and baled waste suitable for combustionRequires two main solutions – cement kilns or dedicated incineratorsMain problem in Italy is lack of burning capacity- cheaper to burn untreated MSWProducers of RDF pay cement kilns to burn – difficult economic sustainability
MBT- Recovery or Disposal ?
Through MBT some dry fractions are recovered.Through MBT waste volumes are reduced (25% process loss) and organic waste is stabilised.Through MBT however, the organic fraction is 95% disposed in landfill either as cover or as waste.The RDF fraction is difficult to sell for burning.
Therefore MBT is a disposal operation.
Organic waste from source separated collection
In Italy organic waste from source separated collection accounts for 10% of the MSW stream, about 1.4 million tonnes of domestic kitchen waste, about 1.4 million tonnes of green waste plus 400.000 tonnes of sludges.
The main destination is composting for the production of fertiliser substitutes and soil improvers.
Domestic food waste, source separated collection, Italy
LabourIntensive,Low capitalcosts
Costs of source separation
Integrating collection schemes + Federambiente 2003 - mean values
33,24 2,87
7,2821,06
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Road containers
Door to Door
collection cost (mean value) €/inhab/y
Collection of Residual wasteCollection of Foodwaste
Quality Composting in Italy 1993-2007
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
1993 1997 2001 2005 2006 2007
mig
liaia
t/an
no
0
50
100
150
200
250
Num
ero
impi
anti
attiv
i
Rifiuto organicotrattaton° impianti attivi
Quality Composting plants in Italy 2007
Operative plants
Quantity MSW(tons)
Total Quantity (tons)
North 181 1.798.018 2.187.964
Centre 50 347.866 548.232
South 45 222.314 444.508
ITALY 276* 2.368.199 3.180.703
•+18 plants more than 2006 (+40 on 2005); there are about 100 very small plants treating less than 1000 t/a of green waste: the number of industrial plants is 171.• circa 100 plants treat more than 10.000 t/a
What value is derived from composting ?
Substitution of landfill costs
Treatment of organic waste costs from € 60-100/tonne in Italy, 50% less than landfill.
Production of soil improvers with sales value of up to € 50 /tonne
Jobs
Compost products
In 2007 Italy made1.400.000 tonnes of quality compost
Certification is essential
Quality control schemes in Italy
Ecolabel EC/688/2001 (1)
CIC (33)
“Allowed in organic
farming” (129)
Composting plus energy- recovery of energy and matter.
Anaerobic digestion upstream of compostingAdvantages:Increases composting plant capacityReduces odoursProduces renewable energy – green certificates
Disadvantages:Investment cost- requires grantsSensitivity to inputs- requires constant homogeeous sourcesMaintenanceLeachate /liquid treatment cost- requires treatment plant
AD has traditionally been a solution for treating animal residues especially from pigs. Now in Italy there are 10 plants operating with organic waste from MSW.
Padua integrated compost and AD plant, 300.000 t/y capacity
Conclusions
It is illegal to landfill untreated organic waste, doing so creates severe environmental problems
Treating organic waste aspart of mixed waste stream requires either incineration or MBT to be stabilised.
MBT has advantage of flexibility for conversion into composting facilities.
MBT provides rapid reductions in volume and GHG emissionsfrom organic waste but is a disposal option.
However, to create real value from organic waste it has to be collected separately to allow recovery.Separate collection of organic waste creates :
a) Production of clean high quality compost for soil improvers
b) Easier recycling of dry wastes.
c) Production of energy from anaerobic disgestion when economically viable.
d) Employment
CONSORZIO ITALIANO COMPOSTATORIEmail [email protected]: www.compost.it
Perugia 15-16 April , the ISWA BEACON CONFERENCE ON BIOWASTE www.atiaiswa.it
David NewmanManaging Director
Many presentations from CIC Technical Workshops can be downloaded from our on-line library for free.Click www.compost.it then search for the “biblioteca on-line”
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